Archive for February, 2011
Where Do I Start?
Over the holidays two of our colleagues got engaged and came to us to ask “where do I start?” What a simple question that I’m sure many of you wonder as well!
You want to start with your guest list. Once you know your approximate number of guests, you’ll know which venue is the appropriate and most comfortable size for you.
Your next step should be to establish your budget. Don’t forget to include a gift for your attendants. You’ll want to include a budget for the food and beverage for your reception, entertainment for your ceremony and reception, florals and décor, the fee for your officient*, photography and videography. If your ceremony is not taking place at a hotel, you’ll want to budget for transportation for your bridal party and immediate family from the ceremony location to the hotel.
Tip: don’t forget to budget for some light snacks for your bridal party while they are dressing.
Martha Stewart Weddings offers an easy to use budget calculator:
http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/
You’ll also need to determine what time of year is the best for the two of you and your respective families. If you plan to hold your ceremony outdoors, you’ll want to plan for a backup in case of rain. If your fiancée is a football fan, you’ll probably want to avoid the football season.
Tip: a great way to contain costs is to consider a Friday or Sunday of a non-holiday weekend when the food and beverage minimums are lower.
* Officient: the person who is performing your vows
White by Vera Wang
Iconic bridal gown designer Vera Wang’s new affordable White collection for David’s Bridal is now available online and in select stores! See some of her amazing designs below and the best part is that these gowns range between $600 and $1,400 – a bargain compared to her customary prices:
“Every bride deserves to have great design,” Vera Wang states on the site. “I am proud to be able to bring my designs to more women everywhere through the White by Vera Wang collection.” Can’t you just see a Langham Bride gliding through our elegant hallways with these beautiful creations on?
Which design is your favorite?
The Knot Spring/Summer 2011
Have you picked up the latest Spring/Summer 2011 issue of The Knot Southern California Weddings Magazine? Our lovely couple Pinyu and John were married here at The Langham last April and are featured as a “Real Wedding!”
Congratulations to Pinyu and John on having their wedding published and for hosting such a great celebration here with us!
Anthropologie Launches BHLDN
Oh so sassy and appropriately launched on Valentine’s Day, “BHLDN” ( pronounced Beholden) is Anthropologie’s stand alone brand and online wedding boutique. Their romantic heirloom quality gowns range in price from $1,000 to $4,000 for their debut season. You’ll just will swoon over their darling shoes and wedding accessories. My personal favorite is the feather bolero, which would be an adorable wrap for your bridesmaids! Visit www.bhldn.com for more eye candy, here are a few of my favorites:
The Winter Explosion of the Flowering Trees
Our favorite time of the year for weddings at The Langham is late January to early March when the trees on the property flower in all their amazing glory.
These photos of The Japanese Garden and The Courtyard were taken on January 29th at about 1:00pm. Our grounds keepers tell us the pink “cup like” flowering trees in The Japanese Garden are Tulip Magnolias. The white flowering trees in The Courtyard are Evergreen Pears and their pink counterparts will begin to bloom in The Horseshoe Garden and The Japanese Garden between February and early March, what a wonderful time of the year for a wedding at The Langham!
The Japanese Garden
The Japanese Garden
The Courtyard
The Courtyard
The Courtyard
The Color Honeysuckle
Pantone named Honeysuckle as the Color of the Year for 2011 saying “energizing honeysuckle lifts spirits and imparts confidence to meet life’s ongoing challenges”. It reminds me of bright pink peonies, my favorite flower.
Maybe your passion is purple. Do you know that there are over 1,000 shades of purple and probably 1 million variations in shades and hues? At some point you will want to be able to begin to develop your wedding color palette. You’ll want to translate your vision when selecting your bridesmaid’s dresses, be able to communicate your inspiration to your florist, select the details of your invitations and maybe tie one hue into a tailor-made signature beverage for your reception.
Is your favorite purple more of a plum, a violet, a majestic purple or a pale purple leaning toward mauve or taupe? You see my point.
Pantone is the world-renowned authority on color. Lose yourself in their website of amazing colors and pre-designed palettes at http://www.pantone.com and search for your own color inspirations. When you’re ready to focus on your wedding palette enter “dessy” in the Pantone search engine or visit http://www.dessy.com . There you will find a wonderful resource. After registering, select PANTONE WEDDING and visit the wedding inspiration style board gallery. Then design your own inspiration board. You can even order color swatch cards!
Gong Hay Fat Choy!
Happy Chinese New Year! Today, February 3, 2011, welcomes the Year of the Rabbit. We are fortunate here at The Langham to host weddings of all ethnicities and experience cultural traditions that are passed down from generation to generation, even here in the United States. One such tradition is the Chinese Wedding Tea Ceremony, which we’ve seen performed in various manners by our Chinese Brides and Grooms as a sign of respect to their parents and elders.
Traditionally on the wedding day, the Bride serves tea (holding the teacup with both hands) to her parents at home before the Groom arrives to pick her up to thank them for raising her. She pours and serves the tea by herself without the Groom. After the wedding ceremony, the newlyweds serve tea (always holding the teacups with both hands), inviting the Groom’s elders to drink tea by addressing them by their formal title, i.e. first uncle or third aunt. The general rule is to have the Bride on the left side and the Groom on the right side. The people being served will sit in chairs, while the bride and groom kneel or bow. The newlyweds serve tea in order, starting with the Groom’s parents then proceeding from the oldest family members to the youngest, e.g. the Groom’s parents, then his paternal grandparents, then his maternal grandparents, then his oldest uncles and aunts, and all the way to his older brother. In return, the newlyweds receive lucky red envelopes stuffed with money or jewelry. The helpers, who are usually women blessed with a happy marriage or wealth and chosen by a fortune teller or Bride’s mother, also get lucky red envelopes stuffed with money from those being served. These envelopes are placed on the platter which holds the teacups.
The Chinese Wedding Tea Ceremony is an important tradition in the Chinese culture. We’d love to hear from you about your special wedding traditions!
December Wedding: Julie & Joseph
Just wanted to share a thank you note from newlyweds Julie & Joseph who were recently married here at The Langham in December:
Hi Cathy & Amanda!
I hope you got a copy of the thank you letter I sent to the GM of the hotel (or at least were told about it)! Our wedding was fabulous (even though it was raining). Thank you again to both of you for all your help. Here is a link to a slideshow with music with some of our wedding photos. Hope you enjoy and thanks again!
Julie & Joseph
Don’t they make a fabulous couple? We love how their red color scheme fit beautifully with the holiday décor here at the Hotel! Congratulations Julie & Joseph!
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